254 THE LAND OF THE LION 



harm done. We gave it up at last as a useless expenditure 

 of ammunition. We fixed thorn bomas round it, tried 

 every possible device to force the visitor to pull at the 

 meat from the front, but in vain. 



These hyenas certainly knew that they must not come 

 at the meat they wanted, and which they always carried 

 away, no matter how securely it was tied on, from the 

 front. It really looked as though they had placed a paw 

 on the trigger and then proceeded to dine leisurely. 



I never saw so large a python as one H. secured on the 

 Nzoia. He almost walked on it as he was tramping the 

 border of a large swamp. It lay fast asleep and died 

 immediately at a shot in the head. The skin was mag- 

 nificently coloured shining with a purple iridescence, which 

 left it soon after death. Three men could not haul the 

 body, which measured unskinned 24 feet 6 inches, out of 

 the soft yielding ground. And more had to come from 

 camp before it could be handled. 



Python on Victoria are not uncommon, but are not 

 often so large as this one. 



Snake stories are proverbial, and here is one actually 

 true, yet so unbelievable that it could have happened 

 nowhere but in Africa: 



Captain , commanding one of the smart steamers 



that ply round the great lake, was bringing to Kasumo 

 (the rail-head of the Uganda road) a little band of pas- 

 sengers from up country civil officers, hunters and 

 military men some six or seven, I believe, in all. They 

 had on the long way down to the coast been celebrating 

 too constantly their temporary return to the homeland 

 their six months' leave in three years' service. It 

 was late afternoon, and since there is no hotel at Kasumo 

 and the train for Mombassa did not start till next morning, 

 all the party remained on the steamer and were having 

 five o'clock tea shall I call it ? on deck. Captain 



